New Amsterdam to New York

Inquisitive minds may wonder how New York started and became the largest city in the United States today. I am one of those minds so here's a brief overview.
Native American tribes who occupied the area first came into contact with Dutch and French settlers in the early 1600's. Dutch forts sprang up over the next 20 years but the area fell to the Brits who annexed it to their empire. The governor of New York State was apprehensive about joining the revolution as he feared that vital ties with Europe through it's port would be severed.

But it did join the revolution and became the seventh state of the U.S. Allies, and major contributors to the war against Britain, France donated the now world famous Statue of Liberty to welcome in the thousands of new arrivals to America that were now flooding in. Many people stayed in or around New York and the city grew to what is now one of the major world players in all things financial, cultural and commercial.
Before we returned to the city we had to sort out a new motel in New Jersey. One just down the road had a room that was cheaper than our last and double in size. Oh, and it also had a large jacuzzi in it!
Into the city we try and cover as many sights as possible so it's straight to Fifth Avenue to see what all the fuss is about. It's dull as hell to be fair. Just another shopping street that could be anywhere. At one time maybe this kind of thing was uncommon and special but now it rivals Preston for it's shopping delights, although with some slighter more upmarket designer labels flashing about. From the mundane to the more interesting East Village part of town. The streets are more familiar around here and the people have turned from fairly ugly smart dressed merchants of dull to hip young rockers and fashion trend setters, I hadn't realised how popular the cross-gender Israeli scarf has become! Leafy streets lined with tall terraced apartments with their obligatory metal fire escape staircases. And the sun continues to shine. We sit for a while in a couple of tree filled squares watching the world go by as we realise how tired we are from all this walking. The people round here are more hippy-ish too and it's probably where the sitar playing hippy we saw at Central Park by John Lennon's memorial lives. We briefly enter Greenwich Village and admire the people admiring the basketball matches. It's slightly grotty around here as most of the streets seem a bit rough around the edges.
We dive into the over the top decor of the Jaffa Cafe for a bit to eat in the sunshine of it's busy outdoor decking. People from all nations are represented here but I'm surprised how many Russian voices I hear, considering the yanks despise the communist superpower. Still, you can never tell a true American because such a thing doesn't exist. The sheer amount of world nations that have contributed to the U.S. means it really is a cultural melting pot, unless you're in Utah of course.
Straight from here we dive into a photo exhibition from a rock photographer of famous punk and rock icons of the last 30 years. Nothing much punk about the price of a print though, the cheapest and smallest size is $500! Next we visit your atypical New York independent music shop where the owner tells us of his trip to London and plays the latest tracks he's excited about. A splurge on CDs and we're off to check out the Rockefeller Centre back in the more touristy centre. John D. Rockefeller was at one time the richest man in the world and in turn America's first billionaire. He made all this wealth through oil in the 1800's and ended up with his fingers in many pies as he set up the Chicago University and funded immense amounts of medical research.

The Rockefeller Centre in New York City is a collection of buildings that to me look like they'd suit the gaudy facade of Las Vegas rather than here. An ode to making money is embossed before a tall skyscraper and a fountain in which gold statues are posing looking a little plastic. I'm not sure why there are soo many tourists looking around at this dirge but I suppose we also fall into that category.
We're blowing the budget fast here so settle for another excellent burrito outside of the public library on the lush grass surrounded on all sides by imposing skyscrapers. The night is still warm enough to be sat out and plenty of people are relaxing on the tables and chairs or busy on laptops buried in work. A nearby wine bar is heaving with suited loud Americans enjoying the balmy evening. There's a good atmosphere here and only San Francisco is in the same league as far as American cities go.
We elect to stay another night as there's still plenty to see and not enough time in the day to see it. It's that evening as we begin to fill the jacuzzi that we discover that the lush grass of the previous square is now the new home of Laura's cash card. After some panicky phone calls home and to the bank things should be back on track, not that the New York spending is helping.
The next morning we head straight for the ferry for our free trip to the Statue of Liberty island. Great views back towards the city across the water even though today is overcast. We wander around the small island that mainly consists of a huge souvenir shop and burger joint. You can't go up to the top of the statue like you once could due to health and safety and terrorism blah de blah blah concerns. You can gain access to just below foot level although you have to apply in advance and be security screened. Or if you're me you pretend to a be a dim witted Englishman and they let you in anyway. Not that all the security precautions and queuing is worth it as you don't really get as good a view up close to the base of the statue as you do from the lower island floor level. Still, the statue is impressive no matter how you look at it. The French gift has now become one of the most iconic images of America and is a great addition to an already attractive port. The boat trip included a stop off at the neighbouring Ellis Island which was once an immigration station to process some of the hordes of newcomers but now just looks like a slightly run down warehouse. We chose not to get off the boat as time was against us if we wanted to see a bit more of the city.
We step back onto Manhattan at the south tip for a a walk around the financial district around Wall Street and it's meandering narrowness. The stock exchange and surrounding buildings are OK but nothing special but the area as a whole is a decent stroll as the high buildings on the narrow streets make you feel extra small. We sit for a while on Hanover Square which was opened a few years back by Prince Charles. It's a tiny square but has a chiseled brick inlay in the rough shape of the British Isles weaving around it with every county's name inscribed on it. I never thought I'd see 'Lancashire' written in stone in New York!
We stroll along the water's edge to the iconic Brooklyn Bridge as the light fades. We've no time to go across to Brooklyn or to the other neighbourhood of Queens so at least there's reason to come back. In four nights you can't see everything here but we've seen a lot. We sit eating again besides public library whilst an odd photo shoot is going on with some of the ugliest old women I think I've ever seen.
New York City is in no doubt that it's a great city, even the evening news starts with the line "and what's gone on in the world's greatest city today?". Times Square barely gets a mention here because it's not really a square and is really just a small crossing of two long roads that happen to have a bit of bright advertising dotted about it. But most other things live up to their billing. The Empire State's great views, the classic buildings like the Flat Iron's triangular form or the shimmering Chrysler building, the varied neighbourhoods, the abundance of life and probably the best city park in the world.

All this does make it a great city but is it the greatest city in the world? Of course not. I'm not sure what is either but one thing that the most amazing cities have that nowhere in America can conjure is the vibrancy of life. New Yorkers are supposed to be rude and outspoken but I just thought they were as rude and miserable as every other American city we'd visited. From the packed slick cool of Tokyo to the in your face colour of Mexico City to the street music and random drummers in Buenos Aires, New York has tough competition. But when Americans are told that they're the best at everything I don't think half of them even think to look anywhere else.
However, I like New York a lot. I'd come back in an instant but I wouldn't be so sure if I had the choice between here and a handful of other cities. Is it even the best city in America? Possibly, but for me personally I think San Francisco just pips it. It has all the trappings of a city but with the benefit of being on the best side of the country in the best state and so close to plenty of stunning outdoors. No doubt I'll be back here again at some point, just next time I'll bring more money!

New York, New York

The sun is reflecting off the large and long Hudson River to our left as it has done all day. It still seems a little strange that one of the world's most famous cities is waiting for us at the mouth of this river that is currently flanked by such greenery.


We pass over and past couple of bridges, the one above was especially picturesque, until we got within sight of the big apple.
New York City is within New York State, 'The Empire State' as it reads on the car registration plates, and is made up of five well known boroughs.
But before we even get to New York a couple of problems have to be addressed. When your budget is $100 a day for food, transport and accommodation you are going to struggle in America's most expensive city. To get a room for less than a hundred dollars a night would be possible but not advisable. To be a tourist at night in a dodgy neighbourhood of New York is just asking for trouble so we make a bold decision. We decide to stay across the water from Manhattan Island and downtown New York in the adjacent state of New Jersey. This sounds more extreme than it actually is. For starters, everything is much cheaper in New Jersey because their state tax is lower so petrol is almost a quarter cheaper. Not that you'd want to drive in New York anyway. Having a car presented another snag in staying within Manhattan Island as parking is sparse. Most visitors to this city have flown here for a long weekend and don't have to even think about a car as they'll be using the subway and taxis. New Jersey was the best solution all round and coupled with the shuttle bus outside our motel taking us into the heart of downtown NYC for only $2 for the 30 minute journey our minds were made up.
We check into our motel in a distinctly Mexican neighbourhood. I like being around the Mexicans, they still have life about them and all of a sudden taco stands appear selling Mexican food cheap to the many passers-by. Still, you can tell we're on the cusp of a big city, the traffic is heavy and there's plenty of full buses on their way somewhere. The sun is beaming and as we get on the shuttle bus surrounded by Mexicans we can't help thinking of Mexico city and all its vibrancy.
From New Jersey we pass through the very long Lincoln Tunnel and turn up and out into central New York. All of a sudden we're surrounded by skyscrapers and hemmed in by yellow taxis.
We step off the bus at 8th Avenue and set about finding the nearest Chipotle Mexican Grill for another classic burrito. After the most important thing is sorted we step out onto the bustling street and it suddenly dawns on us that we have no map or idea where we are. We've got used to small cities with nothing much of interest to see but now we're back in a proper city and totally unprepared. We head in a random direction and find ourselves at Grand Central Station.

A stroke of luck you may say. A double whammy really as not only is this a great building and the site of many an American movie classic, it also serves as a spot for gaining a free map and a bit of info about transport back to New Jersey. I've heard that Grand Central Station is smaller in real life than perceived in the films but I thought it was a decent size. Either way it's a good looking building and a constant hive of activity. You can't help feeling a bit of deja-vu as you wander the streets and see buildings like this because you know you've seen them before. I recall watching The Untouchables and a key scene that was shot here and now I'm standing in the very spot.
We scan the map for the big 'must-sees' of NYC and discover that the Empire State Building is on the same road as Grand Central. It might well have been but we couldn't find it, imagine that. Not being able to find one of the most famous skyscrapers in the world! We did spot the Chrysler building though and for me this is one of the ultimate icons of the new york skyline. Shimmering metal covers the building right up to it's half moon and triangular shapes atop. It's apprantly covered in symbols of the motor industry and we do spot the odd icon but we read that most can only be spotted high up alongside.
We continue looking for the Empire State building and don't spot it for a while. It dawned on me that maybe I've never really taken a good look at the building, I've seen it plenty of times on tv but have I really looked at it? It turns out not because when we do stand at the foot of it it doesn't even ring any bells.

In fact it looks a bit dire and understated in comparison to the superb Chrysler building. It didn't help that the ground floor was surrounded by scaffolding as it's undergoing renovation. We think about going up to the viewing area but as the sun has just begun to set and the queue is massive we decide to leave it until tomorrow.
We get take the subway to visit the Guggenheim Museum but that has now closed for the evening and also, typically, under refurbishments aswell.
The next day gets off to a great start, although I was mistaken for a German (not for the first time on the trip). This time it worked in my favour. A woman approached me at breakfast and told me her and her family were leaving that day and would we like 4 city passes. Of course I did! Many major cities offer a city pass within which you get entry to major attractions around the city but pay it all in one go and for a fair amount less than each individual attraction. Although the trip up the Empire State building voucher had been used we still had vouchers for a trip to Statue of Liberty Island, entrance to the Museum of Modern Art, entrance to the Guggenheim Museum and circle ferry tour of Manhattan Island. Not bad for free!
First up we want to take a good look around Central Park, it's certainly the weather for it as the sun continues it's uninterrupted beaming. We get the subway to the north end of the park and plan to walk through it's entirety. The New York subway system is bit over complicated and run down. The stations are dilapidated and the trains are noisy and old. In fact it is probably the worst underground system we've used. Considering there isn't that many stations there is no need for it's complex nature of lines, colours, numbers and letters. London blows it out of the water and both Shanghai and Hong Kong would fall about laughing at the state of it. But, as we've learnt, Americans are told they're the best at everything so they put up with it.

Getting out of the dimly lit passageways into the bright sunshine and abundant life of north Central Park is a bit of a shock at first. This is clearly a slightly poorer part of town but nonetheless happy. A lake is surrounded by people fishing, kids playing or taking part in a school lesson, old black guys laying back and chewing the fat beneath the sun. This may well live up to the hype and actually be one of the best city parks in the world.
We pass through curvaceous rows of blooming flowers and an Alice in Wonderland statue to a vine covered pagoda under which a solitary man goes through his tai-chi routine.
People buzz around preparing a marquee for an event whilst artists attempt to capture the glorious colours of the flowers encircling a fountain. The park is massive, there's no understatement here, with such a variety of activities going across it. A huge lake is constantly in view for the hordes of runners and roller-bladers whizzing around it probably not even glimpsing at the attractive skyline peering at the water.

We then take in another fountain that is surrounded by pink Spanish tiling and a grand staircase that leads into a covered archway in which a musician plays his way through some classical pieces amongst the faded frescoes.
Halfway down the park we dive into the Guggenheim Museum thankful that we didn't have to pay the $18 dollar entrance. Again we take the UK's free museums for granted and at least give the opportunity for all walks of life and wallet size to have a nosy into the world of art and culture.
The Guggenheim is a white circular building that for me isn't pleasing to the eye but the great exhibition of Chinese art made up for it. A horde of fake wolves, tigers covered in arrows and firecracker art make it worth the visit. The hanging cars in the lobby followed us all the way from the west coast and Seattle's museum of modern art.


By this time the sun is already on it's way down (which shows how big the park is!) when we stroll past baseball fields and a small wood to the end of the park and head towards the Empire State Building. The queues are immense and we have to walk the final 6 flights of stairs up to the sardine-packed viewing area for sunset. The views are spectacular across the city and the around the island itself. As the sun disappears the lights of the city begin to show yet another classic view of the famous city and we elbow our way to the exit and the bar. At the ground floor of the building is a bar which we dive in to sample some of it's brewed ales. And good they are too, it was just a shame the busy downstairs bar closed at half ten and everyone had to leave or go upstairs, very odd and totally against my European principals! Unfortunately we miss the last bus to New Jersey and have to wait an hour for one from a different firm.
Originally we were staying for only 2 nights but they've now passed and we've not even seen half of what we wanted, looks like we'll have to stay a little longer!